The Marauder's Meeting
by Firechild20
Summary: One day, one train ride was all it took to bring six fated souls together on a journey that would one day change the wizarding world.


The faces of friends and family began to blur as the train picked up speed. At the sound of the compartment door opening, Severus turned his head away from the station to a smiling girl standing in the doorway. Her vibrant red hair swung freely behind her as she neatly sat down across from him on the opposite bench. On her lap, she held a considerably intimidating amount of books.

"Mum and dad bought them for me in Diagon Alley," she said, noticing Severus staring with eyes popping out of his head. "I wanted to get a head start."

"You know they don't expect you to come in knowing anything."

"Yes I know, but…" she trailed off.

"But what Lily?" he prodded. She kept her gaze firmly in her lap, refusing to meet Severus' eyes. "Come on, you know you can tell my anything."

"It's just that… Well, so many others are coming from magical families. They know so much about the magical world. I just don't want to feel left out."

"Oh, come off it, Lily. You're just as brilliant as anyone coming in here. You know that. Besides, if anyone says a word about your family, I'll make sure they pay." Lily looked oddly at Severus, who had now taken his turn at looking into his lap. She wanted to believe his last words were a joke, but somehow she doubted it.

She opened her mouth to respond when the car door slid open and a young boy with wild dark brown hair stumbled into the compartment. He righted himself before plopping down next to Lily. Pushing his glasses further on his face, he looked around at Severus and Lily.

He instantly smiled at the sight of Lily and extended his hand to her. "James Potter," he introduced.

"Lily Evans," she said, returning his handshake. "And this is my friend Severus Snape." James swung his head toward Severus and looked at him as if noticing him for the first time. The side of James' mouth quirked into an amused smile, "Nice to meet you, Snivellus."

"It's Sever-"

"So Lily, is this your first year, too?" he cut Snape off as though he had not spoken.

"Yes, it is," she said politely before looking back at her book.

"Mine, too. Maybe we'll be sorted in the same house. I'm hoping for Gryffindor. That's where all the brave people go." Lily didn't answer but continued to stare down at her book. Severus, too, looked out the window, hoping James might catch the hint that he was unwelcome in the car.

"I definitely think I'll get Gryffindor," he said, absentmindedly running his hand through his already messy tangle of hair. "Then again, any of the houses are fine, as long as I don't get Slytherin."

Severus could no longer hold his tongue. "There's nothing wrong with Slytherin," he interjected.

James snorted and opened his mouth smugly to reply but was cut off by another opening of the compartment door. This time two boys walked into the compartment. One had shaggy dark hair that curled just below his ears while the other was significantly shorter and squattier. His squished face held an air of fear and his whole body seemed to twitch in an irregular sort of way. He was babbling incoherently to the taller boy, who seemed to be ignoring every word he said.

"Ah, here's some open seats. You blokes don't mind, do you?" the tall boy asked, though from his attitude, Severus doubted a negative answer would have made any difference. Sure enough, the boy sat down next to Severus without waiting for a reply. He leaned back casually against the backrest and pushed his long hair out of eyes.

"I'm Sirius Black, by the way. This kid is Peter Pettigrew." The small child waved brightly at the others. Sirius leaned closer to James. "I showed him how to get onto the platform and now he won't leave me alone," he muttered under his breath.

"James Potter," James said, holding his hand out to Sirius, who simply looked at it, but did not shake. James dropped his hand disappointedly after a moment. "This is Lily Evans and Snivellus Snape."

"It's Severus!" Snape shouted, balling his fists in fury, but the two boys didn't seem to hear him. They were already engaged in their own conversation.

"What was it I heard about you saying Slytherin was no good?" Sirius asked casually, popping a few Bertie Botts Beans in his mouth. "My whole family's been in Slytherin. I 'spect that's what I'll get, too."

"No way. You seem too cool for Slytherin. Family doesn't always mean anything in house sorting. That's what my dad told me. Maybe your family's just a bunch of prats." Lily gasped slightly as the forwardness of his words. "Doesn't mean you will be."

Sirius searched his face for a moment. Severus expected to Sirius to punch James right in the face, and would be lying if he said he didn't half hope it would happen.

"James that was very mean of you," Lily scolded. "You can't just go up to someone you don't know and insult their family."

"Yeah, I expect that's a bit like going up to someone you don't know and scolding them on what they should and shouldn't do," he retorted, though his eyes gleamed playfully and a crooked half smile played on his cocky lips. Lily rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to Severus.

Suddenly, Sirius' face broke into a broad smile and he started laughing hysterically. Both Lily and Severus exchanged baffled looks. Once he composed himself, Sirius looked at James. "You know, I think that's the first time I've ever heard anyone have the guts to insult the royal Black family." His voice took on a deep tone of mockery and he gestured regally with his hands. "Sometimes even I hate how we're treated." He held out his hand to James, who gave it one good shake. Severus could tell from looking at the two, it was a shake of a long lasting friendship.

The small boy named Peter had remained silent through the conversation but instantly started babbling about all the different things they could do at Hogwarts. Both Sirius and James seemed to humor the boy, but didn't take much he said seriously.

Once more, the conversation was interrupted as the glass door opened yet again. In the doorframe, a tall, skinny boy peeked quietly inside. "Is there any room in here? I don't mean to intrude but everywhere else is full."

"Well, we're already a bit cramped," Severus said.

At the same time James said even louder, "Of course there's room." He scooted over so that he leaning against Lily, opening up a spot on the bench next to him. Severus ground his teeth at seeing how close James was sitting to Lily. It should be he who was sitting there.

Turning his attention away from the recent turn of events, he looked back at the boy who had joined them in the compartment as he sat down timidly next to James. He had wheat blonde hair that stuck up in disarray and a thin, drawn face. Dark bags hung under his eyes and his skin itself seemed sallow and spotted with bruises. Severus couldn't help but think he bore the face of someone much older than he was.

"What's your name?" James asked. He didn't answer, but instead opening up his own rather thick book. Sirius and James exchanged odd glances.

"My name's Sirius Black and this here's James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Lily Potter, and Snivellus Snape." For a moment, Severus grew angry and thought about correcting him but he realized the effort would be wasted and instead took to taking in the passing landscapes.

"His name is Severus!" Lily snapped this time. Her eyes were bright and fiery and she stared coldly at Sirius.

The strange boy blinked, then took a deep breath. "It's a pleasure to meet you, James, Sirius, Peter, Lily, and Severus," he said quietly, placing a bit of emphasis on the last word. Lily gave him a small, grateful smile. "My name is Remus Lupin."

The four new boys all smiled to each other, though Remus' seemed oddly pained. In a way, Severus could relate to such a smile. It was often the kind he put on for show in front of others.

The next several hours passed uneventfully. Lily poured over the books, stopping every so often to read something interesting to Severus. The other four boys didn't seem to notice, however. They were wrapped up in their own stories, laughing and joking as if they had known each other for years. Even the shy Remus looked more at ease and comfortable around them..

Severus could feel jealousy creeping into his veins. They already a stronger friendship than he had ever known. The only true friend he had ever known was Lily and now she began conversing with them instead of he. This was perhaps the most disconcerting occurrence for Severus. He couldn't lose her friendship to these arrogant boys who couldn't even be bothered to get his name right. Several times, he suppressed the urge to grab Lily and leave the compartment. Too bad there were no more available spaces. Here he had been so excited to go to Hogwarts to finally find others he might fit in with and yet he was already an outcast. Never did they once engage Severus in their conversation.

At the train began to slow to a stop, James jumped up excitedly from his seat. "Dad told me first years get to travel to the castle in boats! Lily, why don't you ride with us?" he asked.

"Because she's going to ride with me!" Severus snapped, jumping up from his seat. He could not lose Lily to them. He wouldn't. James' face darkened and he took a menacing step closer to Severus until they were almost nose-to-nose.

"I think that's up to her, you greasy git," James seethed.

"Both of you stop!" Lily yelled, forcing herself in between them. She looked furiously at Severus. "He's right, you know. It's my decision as to who I ride with." Severus looked away from her hurt eyes guiltily. James snickered from behind her but she immediately turned on him. "And you! Don't you dare go acting as though you're some hero. All you are is a cowardly bully. I hope you enjoy the boat right," she hissed sardonically. "Come on, Severus," she said and pushed through the four boys.

Severus remained rooted on the spot for a few moments in shock before running to catch up with Lily.

"I'm sorry, Lily," he apologized when he caught up to her. She turned around to face and for a moment looked as though she wanted to slap him, but her face softened and she offered him a small smile.

"It's okay, Severus. Let's forget all about them. We're finally here. This is what we've been dreaming of all summer. Come on." With that, she took his hand and led him over to the lines of first year students waiting to get on boats.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of James, Sirius, Remus, and Lupin, huddled together, talking about he assumed to be him. Despite his happiness at the beginning of school and Lily's forgiveness, he couldn't help but feel sense of strong discord and enmity toward them. Just as he was about to step into the boat behind Lily, Severus met James' eyes. The smug look they held told Severus that their feud was anything but over.


End file.
